I agree with others who like the log cabin -- in ALL its incarnations, round/twisted/courthouse steps/offset/etc.
To me the log cabin block is most effective with a minimum of 5 logs cut no more than 1.5" wide to finish at 1" wide. Also I feel it's more interesting with light/dark contrasts or with graded colors (from very light to medium on one side of the block, and medium to very dark on the other side of the block).
The log cabin block is just a half-square triangle, so any design - such as an eight-point star - ccould be made using log cabin piecing, just larger.
Jan in VA